Here, explores other ways Olszewski physically creates that contributes to her main portfolio of work.
Working on the floor
Weirdly enough, a huge part of Olszewski's studio practice is working on the floor. Growing up, she would paint on the floor in her room. She had a desk, but it was dedicated to her other academic classes and there wasn't enough room. She would lay down a tarp to not get paint on the carpet but somehow always did. Because her bedroom was upstairs, Olszewski was able to escape into her own world. Her mom was very particular when it came to keeping household items clean. Although she could have brought her materials and tarp downstairs, her family is very close so privacy wasn't common for her growing up. Painting in her room allowed Olszewski to listen to music, drown out everything else, and create freely without the feeling of creating for others that she often felt.
Now, working on the floor in her studio at CIA, connects her back to why she fell in love with painting in the first place. It reminds her of being in her bedroom when she was younger and just creating for the love of it. Paints scattered everywhere, dirty water cup, paper clippings, paintbrushes, all surrounding her as she is in her zone. Olszewski feels more comfortable creating and connected to her practice this way. She feels more willing to create what she loves and not what others will deem as "good".
Sketchbook Pages
Getting her bachelors out of state, Olszewski has spent a lot of time in airports. People watching is such an easy thing to do here. Because she always carries her sketchbook, she is able to figure draw and capture moments such as these while waiting for departure. And, most of the time people are sleeping so they'll stay still!
Interaction with others is a very important part of Olszewski's studio practice. While it helps her fundamental skills, drawing others allows her to spend time with someone without them even knowing. Having that memory live in her sketchbook creates a record of the time she spent observing the world around her. The ambiguity of not knowing someone's relationship with food just by looking at them is one of the reasons why Olszewski started bringing awareness to food relationships in the first place. When she draws these people, not knowing what their allergic too, what they hate, what they love, creates an inspiring avenue for her in her own work.
During times when she can get in her own head, she leans towards something that isn't routine in her studio practice, like drawing people. This helps her experiment with other materials and processes that she hasn't tried before. Olszewski gains inspiration from this to continue to push herself in her paintings.
Experimenting
Here, shows Olszewski experimenting with material in her studio. This helps her know her material better and discover new prcesses.